Two isolated Antarctic marine diatoms, Chaetoceros neogracile VanLandingham and Stellarima microtrias (Ehrenberg) Hasle and Sims were examined to show changes of growth and uptake rate of nitrate due to UV-B irradiance. Chlorophyll (chl) a concentration was regarded as the growth index of diatom. The diatoms were treated with UV-B radiation and cultured for 4 days under cool-white fluorescent light without UV-B radiation. Two levels of UV-B exposures were applies: 1 and 6 W . Durations of UV-B treatment were 20, 40 and 60 minutes under 6 W and 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 hrs under 1 W . The control groups were cultured at the same time without UV-B radiation. The growth rates of two diatoms decreased under 1 and 6 W UV-B irradiances than that of control group. After 4 days, chl a concentrations of C. neogracile were increased more than 4 times from 133 μgo to 632 μgo in control group. However, the concentration of experimental groups under 1 W UV-B were only increased from 139 μgo to 421 μgo during one hour and the chl a concentrations were decreased from 144 μgo to 108 μgo during five hour. Growth of diatom dramatically more decreased under 6 W UV-B than 1 W UV-B. The chl a concentration of experimental groups under 6 W UV-B for one hour was only increased from 111 μgo to 122 μgo. In the case of S. microtrias showed also similar pattern to C. neogracile by UV-B radiation. The uptake rates of nitrate by the two strains were decreased abruptly under 6 W UV-B irradiances. When two strains were treated under 1 and 6 W UV-B during one hour, the strains were only continued growth and uptake of nitrate under 1 W UV-B. This experimental evidence shows that exposure to UV-B radiation especially to high irradiance of UV-B decreases diatom survival and causes lower decrease of nutrient concentrations by microalgae in Antarctic water. Furthermore, evidence suggests that microalgal communities confined to near-surface waters in Antarctica will be harmed by increased UV-B radiation, thereby altering the dynamics of Antarctic marine ecosystems

In order to investigate the distribution of dominant phytoplankton species in the coastal waters of Gori, Wolseong, Uljin and Younggwang, the standing crops of dominant species were studied during 1992-1996 and the relationships between standing crops and environmental variables were analyzed.The standing crops of diatom Skeletonema costatum, Thalassiosira decipiens, Chaetoceros debilis, Pseudo-nitzchia seriata, Paralia sulcata and dinoflgaellate Prorocentrum triestinum were on average from 16,373 to 118,549 cellso, from 11,180 to 210,313 cellso, from 23,341 to 55,889 cellso, from 6,784 to 15,766 cellso, from 342 to 41,596 cellso and from 4,828 to 22,397 cellso in the four study areas, respectively. The standing crops of Skeletonema costatum, Thalassiosira decipiens and Paralia sulcata were higher in Younggwang, while Chaetoceros debilis, Pseudo-nitzschia seriata and Prorocentrum triestinum were higher in Wolseong than other areas. The standing crops of silicoflgaellate Distephanus speculum were from 157 to 4,239 cellso in the four study areas, showing an tendency increasing in Uljin. The abundance rates of Skeletonema costatum, Thalassiosira decipiens and Chaetoceros debilis were from 7.04 to 15.74%, from 6.95 to 33.69% and from 5.17 to 13.88% in the four study areas, respectivelyThe results of correlation coefficient between standing crops of dominant species and environmental variables show that phosphates were related with the distribution of dominant species in Gori, Uljin and Younggwang, while nitrogen compounds affected the distribution of dominant species in Wolseong. In addition, salinity and temperature affected the distribution of dominant species in Wolseong and Younggwang, respectively.

The short-term dynamics of the summer phytoplankton community structure were investigated in coastal waters around Namhae Island, the Southern Sea of Korea. The study was based on a comprehensive survey constituting 39 collections from 13 stations on July 18-22, August 1-2, 14-16 and 27-30, respectively. The community structure was analysed using cluster analysis and important environmental correlates of the assemblage structure were identified with canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). Water temperature, salinity, NO₂, NO₃, NH₄, PO₄, chlorophyll a and transparency were measured as physico-chemical environmental factors which may be associated with the phytoplankton community structure. Variations of salinity and concentrations of NO₃ and chlorophyll a were not significant. In addition to warmer water temperature, concentrations of NO₂, NO₄and PO₄ decreased at the beginning of August. And transparency was deeper and water column became very unstable after the middle of August. A wide taxonomic diversity was encountered during the survey, including a total of 121 taxa which was composed of 72 diatoms, 48 dinoflagellates and 1 euglenoid species. Cluster analysis showed that the Phytoplankton community could be divided into 4 distinct groups, indicating rapid changes of the community in the short course of this survey. These phytoplankton groups also showed distinctive dispersion patterns in 2-dimensional canonical space, indicating distinct groupings for stations at each survey. Dominant taxa of diatoms (Chaetoceros curvisetus, Chaetoceros spp., Leptocylindrus danicus, Leptocylindrus mediteraneus, Skeletonema costanum, and Pseudo-nitzschia pungen) clustered in region of CCA space corresponding to stations surveyed at the middle of July. Dominant taxa of dinoflagellates were tightly associated with stations surveyed at the middle (Karenia breve) and end (Cochlodinium polykrikoides and Polykrikos schwartzii) of August. The CCA also showed that the phytoplankton community compositions were highly associated with water temperature, transparency, NO₂, NH₄ and PO₄, suggesting that gradients in physical and nutrient conditions affect short-term changes in phytoplankton composition